First two Edge extensions accidentally published online

Dec 11, 2015 11:02 GMT  ·  By

Extensions developed to run on Microsoft’s Edge browser are just around the corner, or at least that’s what a recent leak has suggested, showing that Redmond is very close to publishing the official website for this new feature online.

What’s very important to note is that Edge extensions will be very similar to the ones developed for Google Chrome, with Twitter user @h0x0d, the one who actually spotted the page published by Microsoft by mistake, saying that there are only few differences between the two.

“Comparing Edge version vs. Chrome version of same extension, basically substitute ‘chrome’ with ‘msBrowser,’ few minor changes, done,” he posted after further inspecting the extensions published on that page.

This was Microsoft’s goal from the very beginning

But it’s worth noting that although the extensions’ code looks very similar, this is what Microsoft aimed for in the first place, as making it easier for Google Chrome add-on developers to code for Edge was a priority.

When announcing extension support for Microsoft Edge earlier this year, Redmond executives confirmed that most, if not all, Google Chrome extensions should work flawlessly on the new browser with little to no modifications.

As for the release of extensions, sources close to the matter previously said that Microsoft was looking at the summer of 2016 as a potential date when they could become available for public users. In the meantime, the company will test extensions with help from insiders, and the first preview build that could include them is expected to arrive sometime in the coming weeks, possibly even before the end of the year.

The Redstone update will include much more besides browser extensions, but it’ll be interesting to see how this feature is taking shape, especially given the fact that Microsoft wants all Google Chrome browser add-ons to work flawlessly on its application.